


For Once

by copias_gloves, SushiWestern



Series: If You Have Ghosts [3]
Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Bathroom Sex, Body image insecurities, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Public tease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-06-10 14:22:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19506310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/copias_gloves/pseuds/copias_gloves, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SushiWestern/pseuds/SushiWestern
Summary: The church is holding a celebration for the Third's recent Grammy win and Special is supposed to be on charge of making it run smoothly. Only supposed.





	For Once

**Author's Note:**

> The third installment of the series, this time a collab! We hope you enjoy it!  
> The original idea was conceived by @ghostsxghoul and I  
> Written by @copias-gloves  
> Art by me  
> I hope you enjoy!!

It seemed as though the entire clergy had showed up to celebrate the Ghost project’s recent Grammy win. Siblings of Sin, acolytes, ghouls, and all of the clergy higher-ups were mingling together in the Abbey’s cafeteria, which had been transformed into a lavish banquet hall for the evening. Along one wall was an expansive buffet table offering all manner of fancy hors d’oeuvres: pâté, caviar, lobster puffs, oysters, escargot, even some devilled eggs, along with many many more dishes considered to be delicacies among the earthly elite. Papa Emeritus the Third had insisted that they go all out, and so they had, sparing no expense.

Special was orbiting the open bar, chit chatting with various clergy members as they approached, but mostly keeping an eye on his fellow ghouls. The ghouls’ alcohol tolerance was considerably lower than that of their human comrades. If allowed to imbibe to excess, the party could all too quickly collapse into mayhem, and Special felt it was his sole responsibility to prevent that from happening. These sorts of things often fell on his shoulders; the Papas each had their own concerns to deal with, so over the years he took care of the things they didn’t have the time for. It was his purpose, what he’d been called to do. He took pride in his work, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t exhausting.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to worry much about Alpha or Omega. Those two were relatively well-behaved, and, if anything, Omega would keep Alpha in check. The other band ghouls however… not to mention the countless other ghouls who assisted the clergy in various ways, were not to be trusted. They were all lining up to order their drinks. As Special watched them, some noted his presence and either nodded in deference, acknowledging his position of reasonable authority, or they openly scoffed at him. Special wasn’t unanimously well-loved among his peers, he knew. He tried not to let it bother him. He had work to do, after all.

Suddenly Special felt uneasy, like he was being hunted. He turned to look behind him, and saw nothing, aside from the potted plant in the corner. When he turned back around however, he nearly fell backward in surprise. Cowbell was there, leaning toward him, arms behind his back.

“How are ya, Phil?” Cowbell asked in his usual, eerily calm voice.

Special huffed, straightening his cassock and trying to recover from his brief moment of terror. “How do you  _ always _ manage to do that?”

“I have my ways,” Cowbell answered. He straightened up and moved to stand at Special’s side, watching the crowd along with him. “Is this fun? Do you enjoy watching everyone else have a good time?” After a brief pause, Cowbell added in a whisper, “ _ Do you like to watch?” _

Chuckling softly, Special jabbed his elbow into Cowbell’s side. “You know I have to make sure things run smoothly.”

“I hope they don’t.”

“Excuse me?” Special turned to look up at the tall, slender, cryptid-like ghoul.

“I hope this party gets wild. We all deserve to let loose a little, don’t you think?”

Despite the mask covering his face, Special could recognize by the twinkle in Cowbell’s eyes the devious grin he was sporting. How he envied him sometimes… 

Special sighed, then turned back to observing the ghouls crowding around the bar. “I wish that I could, but I’m on babysitting duty,” he lamented. If he didn’t keep an eye on things, who else would? Nobody.

Cowbell sighed too. “I wish that you’d relax and let yourself live a little,” he said. Before Special could argue, the slender ghoul slithered away and into the crowd, turning to give him a tiny salute before he seemingly vanished among the others.

_ How does he fucking do that? _

  
  


Later in the evening, after most of the partygoers had finished eating a formal dinner, Papa Emeritus the Third stood and grabbed the microphone from the DJ booth and made his way on unsteady feet to the front of the room, apparently eager to make a speech. He was dressed in his mockery of a preacher’s garb: a pink button down shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with a white vest and suit pants, his signature white gloves, and even his aviator sunglasses (despite being indoors, at night). Papa raised his arms, signaling for everyone to hush.

As the room quieted down to hear what he had to say, Special propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin in his hands. He was seated at the head table, among Papa Nihil, Sister Imperator, and the elder Emeritus brothers. Special hoped that the Third wouldn’t make a fool of himself, but judging by the amount of alcohol he’d seen their current leader guzzle down before then, the chances of him  _ not _ making a fool of himself seemed far less likely. Special decided instead that he would hope nobody was about to record whatever they were about to witness.

“Ladies and genitals, gals and ghouls, thank you all for being here, I’ll only take a few moments of your time, I promise,” the Third began, his words slurring together despite his attempt to sound formal.

_ Oh boy, guess we all better settle in, _ Special thought, knowing that the Third was notoriously bad about brevity, especially when under the influence. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Special noticed movement and turned to see Cowbell had slunk into the open seat next to him. Cowbell’s purple eyes quickly flicked over at him then returned his attention to the drunken Papa. Special smiled to himself, happy for the company if he was going to be stuck here a while.

“I just wanna say, that ehhh… a lot of work went into this, you know, and we really gave it to ‘em good, eh? But it wouldn’t have been possible without my brothers, who came before me. Thank you, truly, for so much,” the Third raised his glass toward the head table, honoring his older brothers, before continuing, “Thank you for kicking my ass, and for doubting me, and for doing a worse job than me. Couldn’t have done it without the motivation to outshine you both, honestly.”

Lowering his head, Special covered his face with his hand and sighed.  _ He’s in one of  _ those _ moods, I see. I really hope no one’s recording this. _

He felt a hand on his thigh, soothing at first, or so he thought, until it was clear those long fingers were interested in more than mere comfort. He discreetly peered at Cowbell over his hand still covering his face, who was watching their bandleader go off on the mic, appearing to anyone else to be paying Special no attention whatsoever. The slender ghoul’s hand was well-hidden under the tablecloth as it massaged Special’s leg.

Special gulped. He returned his own gaze to the youngest Emeritus, but internally all he could focus on was the touch of Cowbell’s hand wandering up his thigh, little by little. His heart began to race, but he did his best to keep his breathing normal.

“But I can’t take all the credit, though I do want to mention, all the nights that I worked tirelessly… long, grueling, passionate, unforgettable nights… I think some of you know exactly what I’m talking about,” the Third grinned lasciviously toward where most of the Siblings of Sin were seated, and several of them could be heard squealing in delight.

Meanwhile, Cowbell’s hand was continuing to creep up and caress Special’s thigh under the table, and despite his better judgement, Special moved his leg to the side a little to silently permit him even more access. They were so rarely allowed even this amount of contact, so when it did happen, it made his heart soar suddenly, every nerve in his body seeming to buzz with excitement. These little moments between them were precious to him, even if they also terrified him; he had no idea what would happen if they got caught, and he had no intention of finding out anytime soon.

Those long fingers were kneading in small circles, squeezing, and steadily making their destination clear. By the time Cowbell started to palm his cock over his cassock and pants, Special was clenching his fists on the table, grateful to be wearing the mask to hide how obviously flushed his face felt. Special closed his eyes for a moment, trying to keep his breath steady, but it kept coming out in shuddery bursts and back in with small gasps. 

Cowbell looked over at him, for the briefest moment, only long enough to gauge how his actions were affecting Special before looking forward once more.

“And  _ another thing,” _ the Third was still going, nearly sloshing his drink out onto the floor as he gestured and spoke.

But Special was hardly hearing Papa’s words anymore; he was too affected by what Cowbell was doing to him under the table, trying desperately to stop himself from making any sounds that would convey his pleasure to everyone nearby. His toes were curling in his shoes, and his skin was starting to sweat under his cassock. 

A tiny whimper escaped him, despite all his efforts, and Special barely suppressed the urge to cover his mouth, instead splaying his fingers out and retracting them into fists again. 

Papa Nihil, who was seated on his other side, turned toward him with a concerned look. “Is everything alright, Special?”

Cowbell’s hand didn’t stop as Special cleared his throat a little and attempted to keep his voice even as he replied, “Actually, I’m suddenly not feeling so well… I think I might— _ ughn _ —I might step out for a little fresh air, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“By all means, please, I hope you feel better soon,” Papa Nihil said kindly, and patted the hand nearest him with a fatherly tenderness.

Special nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else out loud without his voice cracking with desire again. He discreetly leaned toward Cowbell to whisper, “Bathroom, three minutes,” then stood abruptly and walked as quickly as possible to the nearest exit, hoping to not draw any attention to himself.

  
  


The nearest restroom was fortunately one of the lesser-used ones in the Abbey, but that didn’t make him any less anxious as Special paced back and forth across the deep green tiles, fidgeting with the various hems of his cassock. It was dimly lit in the restroom, which he hoped would work in their favor, should anyone else happen to come in.  _ Everyone, please, just stay in there and listen to Papa. Except you, Bell. Get over here before I lose my nerve…  _

After what felt more like three eternities rather than three minutes, the door swung open and Cowbell slid into the restroom. He fixed his mystifyingly purple eyes on Special and leaned back against the wall near the door.

“Well? Here I am,” Cowbell said quietly, waiting for Special to say something or make a move.

Special stared back at him, desire pooling in his gut, while his brain was a tempestuous sea of conflicting thoughts; he wanted this time alone with Cowbell, so badly, and yet his obligations to the clergy were making him hesitate. If he gave into his desire now, it could lead to further distractions in the future, and his priorities might shift… he could end up shirking his responsibilities, and the clergy might decide his services were no longer needed… Special dropped his gaze to the floor, frozen in place as his thoughts careened into a downward spiral.

The slender ghoul stepped away from the wall, his long legs crossing the distance between them in a few easy strides. Cowbell lifted the pointed chin of Special’s mask with his finger, encouraging him to look up and meet his gaze.

“What is it you’re afraid of? I hope it’s not me.”

Special shook his head and waved his hands around while he explained, “Not you, Bell. Just the usual, thinking of hundreds of ways this could all go wrong, I don’t know why I even asked you to come here, it’s too—”

“Stop.” Cowbell grabbed his arms, halting Special’s gestures. “Don’t get caught up in ‘what if’ scenarios. That clever brain of yours is always going, isn’t it?” The slender ghoul clicked his tongue. “Forget about the clergy, forget about your duties, forget about all of it and think about what it is you want  _ right now _ .”

_ In that case…  _

Swayed by Cowbell’s words, Special grabbed the front of the slender ghoul’s cassock and yanked him over into one of the empty bathroom stalls. Cowbell pressed his body against him, pinning him to the wall as his long-fingered hands caressed him all over. Special likewise let his hands roam over the slender ghoul’s body. Cowbell brought his face in close, and Special could hear him breathing a bit louder behind his mask suddenly as he grinded against him, stoking the flames of desire that much more.

“I’m dying to kiss your lips but these fucking masks...” Cowbell complained.

“You know we can remove the mouthpiece, don’t you?”

“...We can?”

Special demonstrated by grabbing his own mask and, squeezing it slightly, removed the lower half under the nose, freeing his mouth and grinning up at the slender ghoul. “Perhaps if you’d go see the vet regularly like you’re supposed to—”

Cowbell quickly removed the bottom piece of his mask and cut Special off with a passionate kiss. Special closed his eyes and opened his mouth to him, relishing the sensation as their tongues met for the first time, loving the way Cowbell’s hand cradled the back of his neck to deepen the kiss even further. He’d often fantasized about this moment, but his imagination, vivid as it was, had somehow underestimated just how good it would feel to finally express themselves in this way. They clung to each other, Cowbell still pressing him firmly back against the wall, as Special’s spine tingled with excitement.

A gasp escaped Special when Cowbell’s hands quickly skittered under the bottom of his cassock and urgently started to undo his pants. Again, his fantasies hadn’t prepared him for the thrill of feeling Cowbell’s impatience to get him undressed. Special’s heart was pounding, as if it wanted to leap out of his chest, and it almost made him feel dizzy. He wasn’t a novice, but these kinds of interactions were so rare for him that when they did happen, he sometimes became easily overwhelmed.

The door to the restroom swung open, and heavy footsteps sounded across the tile floor.

Both ghouls froze. Special felt panic rising inside him, his heartbeat now pounding for an entirely different reason, but Cowbell looked more annoyed at being interrupted than worried. They both looked to see who it was and remained completely still, in hopes that they wouldn’t be noticed.

Swaying slightly on his feet, Emeritus the Second wandered past the stall.

_ Oh sweet Satan, of all the possibilities, it  _ had _ to be a superior…  _ Special nearly let out a whine as dread quickly filled his entire being, and he braced for his imminent expulsion from the clergy.

The Second continued a few steps past the stall, paused, then backtracked to do a double-take. He’d seen them out of the corner of his eye apparently, but it hadn’t fully registered until he was staring directly at the ghouls with his bleary, mismatched eyes. Special had seen the previous bandleader down his fair share of drinks that night, even more than his younger brother had, which was likely the reason he’d felt the call of nature and come to the restroom in the first place.

Before any words could be exchanged, Cowbell reached over and shut the stall door with a loud bang and quickly turned the lock.  _ We should have done that in the first place, _ Special thought ruefully.

A moment later, the Second could be heard muttering under his breath and his footsteps headed back out of the restroom. The entrance door swung open and shut again behind him.

Cowbell fixed his purple eyes on him once more, and leaned in to kiss him, but Special turned his head away. He hated the look of disappointment on Cowbell’s face as a result, but he was too filled with fear of losing his position in the clergy, all because of one moment of weakness such as this.

“What’s wrong? He left, there’s nothing to worry about,” Cowbell stressed.

“I shouldn’t be here, doing…  _ this, _ I’m expected to be in  _ there _ , doing my job. I’m sure they’re already suspicious of how long I’ve been gone and now the Second has seen us and is probably telling them—” Special was gesturing wildly as he talked, his anxiety making him even more expressive than usual, when Cowbell firmly but gently grabbed his wrists. Special stopped talking and looked up at him.

“Relax, please,” Cowbell said, his voice surprisingly soft. “Why do you think you’re the only ghoul who isn’t allowed to have fun? I doubt Papa even cares, let alone any of the others. Just…” Cowbell lowered his head for a moment and sighed before bringing his head back up to look into his eyes once more. “Just let us enjoy each other, for  _ once. _ We’ve waited so long for an opportunity like this. Don’t you think we’ve earned some time to ourselves?”

He was right. They’d known about their feelings for each other for some time now, stealing touches here and there whenever they dared to allow themselves those tiny moments of contact. But most of the time Special was too caught up in his work, there was always some task that demanded his immediate attention, or a hundred other things he should have already done… Cowbell’s plea moved him, and Special felt tears beginning to well in his eyes. He stretched his neck to kiss the slender ghoul gently, a silent apology as well as an invitation for him to continue. Cowbell’s hands loosened their grip on his wrists and slid up to lace their fingers together, pushing him back against the wall like he had before.

Cowbell broke off the kiss to whisper, “Now, don’t get all sappy on me, Phil.”

“Can’t help it, Bell, it’s how you make me feel,” Special admitted.

The slender ghoul smiled at that, then bent to whisper against his ear. “Then I’ll have to make you feel something else, hm? Don’t worry, we can make it quick. I can get you off in no time…”

A shudder of arousal shot through him, but Special tried to play it cool. “You think so? What makes you so certain?” He was breathing heavier again, which he couldn’t hide, and maybe he didn’t need to.

Cowbell’s tongue made its way up the side of his neck, making him sigh with pleasure. The slender ghoul was breathing heavier now too, his breath hot against Special’s neck and his ear. “For starters, judging by the way you reacted to me simply touching your leg under a table, I’m fairly certain I can have you unravelling before Papa’s speech is even finished.” His confidence excited Special.

“Go on then. Unravel me.”

That earned a lusty growl from Cowbell as he bit the tender skin of his neck, making Special’s breath catch in his throat. Those long-fingered hands went back to his pants and yanked them down, and Cowbell crouched to help Special step out of them as quickly as possible. Special tried not to giggle about feeling a bit like Donald Duck, with his cassock still on but his pants off; luckily Cowbell was already distracting him by kissing him hard as he worked to undo his own pants next. Special wrapped his arms around the taller ghoul’s neck and committed to getting lost in the passion of the moment. It felt so good to let go, he found, and they were only getting started.

Cowbell broke off the kiss to comment, “I hope you’re okay with using spit, I wasn’t exactly prepared for this to happen.” Special nodded. He hadn’t expected this either, but here they were. Cowbell stuck his long fingers in his mouth to coat them in saliva, then with other hand under Special’s knee, lifted his leg up to prepare him as best as he could. Special tilted his head back and tried to focus on breathing; he was so unaccustomed with being touched sexually, he’d nearly forgotten how it felt. That act alone would probably have been enough for Special, had Cowbell continued to fuck him with his fingers, but once he’d been reasonably stretched, Cowbell pulled his hand away to lift Special’s other leg and hoisted him up against the wall, hooking Special’s legs over the slender ghoul’s shoulders.

They shared a long, meaningful look as Cowbell carefully pushed his cock inside Special. The slender ghoul let out a sigh, as if he felt some massive relief now that he finally had the chance to connect with him physically, like they’d wanted to all this time. He pushed further in, taking his time so Special could adjust, though the shorter ghoul still winced and gasped, in part due to some pain (though it was bearable) and partially from the overwhelming intimacy of it. Once he was fully seated on Cowbell’s dick, they remained still for a moment, both ghouls breathing heavily and staring into each other’s eyes.

“I’ve dreamed about this,” Cowbell admitted.

“I have too,” Special responded. He kissed the slender ghoul deeply, and Cowbell started to rock his hips, keeping a steady rhythm as he thrusted up into him.  _ He certainly knows how to keep a beat, _ Special mused to himself, smiling into the kiss. But when Cowbell’s thrusts intensified, Special pulled his head back to call out his pleasure with a not-so-discreet moan. He realized too late that he should stay quiet but no longer cared in that moment. Cowbell smirked at him, likely proud that he was already affecting him so obviously, and continued to fuck him against the wall.

Soon Special was whimpering, his body tingling with the overload of erotic sensations, and the stall wall began to creak in complaint against their movements. Next he was babbling, every thought running through his overactive brain came tumbling out of his mouth in a cascade of half-whispered utterances, “ _ OhfuckBellitfeelssogoodtofinallybedoing _ _  
_ _ thisandI’msorryittooksolongtogettothispointIfuckinglovethewayyoumakemefeelandihopeimakeyoufeelgoodtooSatanhelpmeyoufeelsofuckingGOOD—” _ Cowbell was chuckling between labored breaths, which soon grew into one of his signature cackles. Special both loved and feared that sound, it could mean so many different things depending on Cowbell’s mood; but this was certainly a good cackle, and so he loved it, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Unraveling nicely, I see,” Cowbell whispered to him. “You do feel good, Phil, you feel fucking  _ fantastic, _ better than I ever could have hoped for…” 

Yet again, Cowbell’s words affected Special more than he anticipated; his eyes misted over as he looked into Cowbell’s, and he felt suddenly overcome with love for his fellow ghoul, who’d been there for him when nobody else had, who understood him on a level nobody else did, who had saved him from the unbearable loneliness he’d felt for so many years. Cowbell saw his emotional state and kissed him sweetly before pulling back to whisper some more.

“Cum for me, Special.”

Finally at a loss for words, a rare feat indeed, Special nodded and bit his lip, focusing on his physical pleasure as Cowbell’s cock drove into him again and again, faster now, more vigorously, urging him to hurdle over the edge. It wasn’t much longer until he was moaning again, unable to help himself. His back arched away from the wall as he came at last, and the resulting deluge of euphoria had his eyes rolling back in ecstasy. Cowbell thrust a few more times and met his own climax, grunting as he filled him.

After a few moments of just breathing together, Cowbell pulled out of Special and let his legs down from his shoulders, setting him carefully back on his feet. However, the physical and emotional drain of it all left Special feeling weak, and he nearly fell to the floor in exhaustion. Luckily, Cowbell caught him and held him upright.

“Easy now, let’s just stay here a moment and cool down,” Cowbell suggested quietly. He ran his warm hands over Special’s body, soothing him as best as he could.

With the fog of desire cleared, old habits returned. “I should go back to the party, they’re definitely going to say something by now, I—”

“Fuck the party. Come to my room, we can relax there together, wouldn’t that be nice? ‘Bell and Phil have a sleepover’, sounds like a good time to me.”

Special smiled weakly. “That does sound nice. But I have responsibilities, and frankly, so do you, as a band ghoul you’re expected to be—”

“Fuck expectations!” Cowbell said it a little too loud, but it was clear that he felt strongly about it. He calmed himself, then continued. “Tell them you’re still not feeling well and need to lie down. It’s not a complete lie, I think I unraveled you a bit too much, heh,” Cowbell grinned for a moment, half pleased with himself and half concerned for Special’s well-being.

_ Maybe he’s right… one night off won’t end my entire career, will it? _ Special was pretty sure he could convince them he was feeling sick in his current state; he felt flushed, and sweaty, and a bit faint. Easily confused for illness.

“Have you always been this convincing?” Special asked, not sure when their roles had switched and Cowbell had become the voice of reason.

Cowbell simply cackled again.

  
  


Still very much light-headed and drained, Special re-entered the banquet hall to find that the party was well and truly in full swing: music was blasting, several tables had been cleared away to make room for a dance floor, and in every direction he spotted more and more ghouls tilting back drinks and getting rowdier by the minute. More than ever he was convinced that he was making the right decision to ditch the party; he didn’t want to be around when literal Hell broke loose (though he would likely still have to help clean up the mess the following day, no doubt).

Special made his way back to the head table, where Nihil and Imperator were still seated, satisfied watching the others enjoy their revelry. He approached Nihil and set a hand on the old man’s shoulder. His milky eyes looked over at Special as he asked right away, “Are you feeling any better?”

_ Better than you could ever know. _ Outwardly, Special replied, “Unfortunately no. I think I might need to go and lie down, if that’s alright, of course…”

Nihil patted the ghoul’s hand on his shoulder affectionately. “I understand completely. Why, just the other week I was suffering from such terrible indigestion, you wouldn’t believe how many trips to the restroom I—”

“That’s quite enough, Papa,” Imperator thankfully interjected before he could get to any gruesome details. She looked at Special with her piercing blue eyes. “You go and get your rest.”

Special was about to thank her for her rare sympathy when Emeritus the Second stumbled over to the table, even drunker than before. He had to steady himself with the back of a chair as he pointed at the ghoul. “I saw him and Cowbell fucking in the bathroom, you know,” he announced loudly.

The ghoul’s eyes went wide and his body stiffened, panic rising once more within him. But before he could deny it, Nihil spoke first.

“What utter nonsense. Just how much  _ have _ you had to drink,  _ Stronzo _ ?”

“An entire pub’s worth, by my count,” Imperator chimed in, shaking her head in disapproval.

Emeritus the Second stood flabbergasted, his mouth hanging open and his finger still pointing at Special.

“Really, is this any way for a former Papa to behave? You should be setting a better example for your younger brother, look at what a terrible influence you are!” Papa Nihil gestured toward where Emeritus the Third was spraying champagne all over a group of Siblings of Sin and even some ghouls, who all screamed in delight. “Do you think that’s a coincidence? I think not!”

Special was grateful to have a mask covering his face, because seeing the Second get berated by his father like this was terribly amusing to him, and he had to suppress his laughter by pressing his lips tightly together.

The Second couldn’t come up with an argument it seemed, so, satisfied that he’d made his point clear Nihil turned to Special once more. “You go on, we’ll keep an eye on things here, before these hooligans tear the Abbey apart.”

“Thank you, Papa,” Special said with a small bow of reverence. He also nodded at Imperator, and then, as he stepped out of their line of vision, gave the Second a discreet middle finger. 

When he reached the door closest to the dormitory wing of the Abbey, Special heard Emeritus the Third shout-singing at the top of his lungs, and his throng of admirers joined in, turning the celebration into some kind of horrible, bacchanalian karaoke party instead.

Special had never been more glad to skip out on his duties.

  
  


It had been a while since Special had last visited Cowbell’s room. It was on the far end of the ghouls’ dorms, and originally wasn’t a dorm at all; they’d had to repurpose an old storage room to make room for the slender ghoul. That being the case, Cowbell’s room was a touch smaller than the others, the door looking a little more shoddy as Special knocked.

“Come in~” Cowbell called from inside, his voice lilting in an eerie sing-songy way. Special smiled as he turned the knob and entered the small room.

Cowbell was lying in bed, naked, the bottom half of his mask resting on the nightstand, with a big grin on his face and his arms held out wide while he waited for Special to join him. Special closed the door and stepped into the room.

“Got the all clear? No more worrying tonight, yes?” Cowbell asked.

“All clear. Thank you for convincing me, by the way, that party is getting pretty wild, just like you wanted.”

“Good! Now get out of that cassock and come relax with me,” Cowbell’s tone was affectionate. 

Special glanced around and spotted Cowbell’s cassock tossed unceremoniously over the back of his chair, instead of hanging in the closet where it should have been. Special licked his lips and fidgeted a little.

“I might just keep it on, I have a spare uniform if I need one,” Special started toward the bed, but Cowbell held up a hand to stop him.

“Ah, ah, ah, no. You like rules, so here’s a rule for you: No cassocks allowed in my bed.”

“Bell…”

“Guess you just have to follow the rules and take it off then, hm?” He was playing at being serious, but when Special still didn’t do as he said, he softened, pouting a little. “Come on, Phil, let’s be comfortable.”

Special removed the bottom half of his mask and set it on the nightstand along with Cowbell’s. “I want to be comfortable… it’s just that… I don’t want you to think I’m grotesque.”

The slender ghoul gave him an incredulous look. “Special. I was, very recently,  _ inside _ you. Why would I think you’re grotesque?”

“When they summoned me, something went wrong. I’m different from the rest of you. An anomaly.”

Cowbell shrugged. “So? Look, like I said when you came in, no more worrying the rest of the night. This is a safe place. It’s me, Special. Just you and me.”

Taking a deep breath, Special finally started to untie his fascia.  _ I suppose tonight is as good as any. It was fun while it lasted…  _ Cowbell watched him curiously, staring in his usual cryptid way, not realizing his gaze could be so vulturus sometimes. Special set his fascia carefully over the back of the chair, among Cowbell’s uniform. He removed his pants next, his shoes and socks. Then he turned away from the bed as he started to undo the buttons of his cassock. That way, Special wouldn’t have to watch Cowbell’s reaction to seeing his body. His hands were trembling a little, making his progress slow and stuttered. But finally Special unbuttoned it all the way, and with a final sigh, let the cassock down to reveal his wings, which were strapped tightly to his body with ropes. He stood still for a moment, waiting for the inevitable disgust.

After a long moment of silence, Cowbell whispered, “Are those… wings?”

“They’re useless. I can’t fly or anything,” Special lamented.

“Will you untie them? I want to see…”

Special turned to look at Cowbell then, and was surprised to see that he did seem genuinely curious. He swallowed hard, then began to untie the ropes. Each of them fell away and he let them drop to the floor. Feeling the tension release as his restraints were undone, Special closed his eyes and sighed in relief. Normally this was one of his favorite moments of the day, when he was alone in his room and could finally just be himself, not hiding. But now, he was nervous and excited and terrified despite the physical freedom he felt. When the last rope had fallen to the floor, Special held his arms across his body, feeling vulnerable.

The slender ghoul rose up off the bed and crossed the small space to stand before him. He gently grabbed Special’s arms and encouraged him to turn so he could take a closer look.

“Can you move them?” Cowbell’s voice was still hushed.

Special demonstrated by stretching his wings out fully, the webbing pulled taut as the outermost edges lifted out to either side of him. He watched Cowbell’s face light up with fascination and awe, and Special felt such a powerful wave of relief he could have cried.

“You don’t think they’re gross?”

“Not at all! May I touch?” Cowbell asked eagerly, his smile wide with excitement.

“Sure,” Special allowed.

The sensation of someone touching his wings was even rarer than sexual touches, and Special shuddered a little as he felt Cowbell gently run his fingertips across the top ridge of one wing, then again as they continued to skim across the webbing.

Cowbell stopped abruptly and pulled his hand away. “Is that painful?”

“No, not at all, quite the opposite really. It feels so nice…” Special’s voice faltered a little.

The slender ghoul’s face suddenly grew very serious. “Do…  _ they _ make you hide them?” Cowbell asked, scarcely containing his contempt for the clergy’s higher ups.

“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s for my own protection. They didn’t want me to have to deal with any negativity regarding me having wings, it’s very uncommon. Especially for a non-elemental ghoul. As I’m sure you’re aware, since this seems to be your first time seeing any.”

“It is,” Cowbell confirmed. He stepped closer to Special, and cupped his face in his long-fingered hands. “You really  _ are _ Special, aren’t you? A little demonic miracle. A hellish cherub. I love it. I love you.” The way he said it was so sincere and gentle, Special was completely floored by it. They’d said it before, sure, and those times had been meaningful too, but this… this meant so much more now that Cowbell was seeing his true self, and still willing to accept him as he was.

“I love you too,” Special whispered. He kissed the slender ghoul then, relishing the freedom to do so without any reservations; no one would walk in on them here, and he had nowhere else to be. For once.

“Come on, cherub, let’s relax,” Cowbell said, and he pulled Special with him as he stepped backward to lead the way. They crawled onto the bed and settled in under the covers, with Cowbell on his back and Special resting on his chest so his wings could move freely. They said nothing for a long while, just breathing together and caressing each other, unable to get enough of their much-delayed intimate contact. Special was taken aback by how tenderly Cowbell held him, how soothingly he ran his hands up and down his arms and his back.

Special spoke up at last. “Bell, I meant what I said earlier… I’m sorry it took so long for us to have this time together.”

“Hey, I understand, that’s why I haven’t pushed the issue. You know, sometimes I admire your fierce work ethic. Sometimes.”

Special looked at him with a suspicious smirk, knowing full well Cowbell didn’t care much for working hard, especially when it meant working for others.

Cowbell continued, “I do however think you need to adjust your work-life balance a bit. Let’s not wait until the next post-award celebration next time, hm? Who knows when that will happen again…”

“Good point. I promise next time will be sooner rather than later.”

They settled back into companionable silence. Special listened to the rhythmic beating of Cowbell’s heart, while Cowbell casually reached up to touch his wings some more, so gently, so full of admiration. Special couldn’t remember another time when he’d felt this content.  _ Heaven isn’t some reward for good behavior, _ he thought to himself. _ It’s this. _

The slender ghoul’s chest shook suddenly as he began to giggle. Special looked at his face, trying to figure out what was so funny.

“I just remembered another reason why it’s a good thing we left the party, that’s all,” Cowbell explained, now chuckling as he thought more about it.

“Why is that?” Special asked, then after a moment, changed his question, “What did you do?”

Cowbell grinned devilishly. “I put a bunch of ghost peppers in the desserts. They’re probably just about to dig into them right now…”

Imagining the resulting chaos, Special chuckled right along with him. “Oh, you devious cryptid you…” He scooted up to kiss Cowbell again.

At some point Cowbell reached over to turn out the light, and they snuggled up together in the small space, a deep sense of serenity filling them both until they drifted off to sleep.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> The art was solely made for this fanfiction. Any kind of reposting is forbidden.


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